Interruptive Ads Preferred, but Upstaged by Native Units

February 4, 2014

By Jack Loechner, MediaPost

According to a new study on high-impact ads conducted by Ipsos ASI on behalf of Undertone, while the online ad industry falls deeper in love with native ads that fade into the background of web pages, consumers prefer ads that get in their face by taking over their computer screens.

The study, which surveyed more than 3,000 panelists last September, examined homepage takeover-type units that came on the scene in a big way several years ago as more Web publishers were seeking bigger brand budgets. These ad types, while endorsed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Online Publishers Association, have seemingly gone out of vogue these days as more advertisers push for native units that look and feel like Web content.

But it’s not surprising, says the report, that the study found bigger ads drove more brand recall. However, it is surprising that respondents said they liked full-screen takeovers the best. These ads received likability scores that were 30 to 49% higher than standard display units, according to the report.

Based on the attributes that scored highest among respondents who were asked to describe full-screen takeover ad units, respondents seemed to gravitate to “these ads are ‘buzzy’, this-is-a-big-deal.”

People were 90% more likely to agree that these full-screen units are “an ad people will talk about” compared to other display ads, and 86% found them to be more entertaining. Similarly, respondents were 79% more likely to find these ads “unique” and 78% more likely to credit these ads with “making me want to learn more about the product or brand.”

Undertone co-founder, Eric Franchi, concludes that "… it may seem somewhat counterintuitive that full-screen takeovers got the highest likability score…(but) great advertising means great creativity…takeovers help that creative break through…"

Ask The Expert

“There is a tremendous value in being part of the ANA’s strong network of brands… The Ask the Expert service validated the research that my team had already done [and] saved us time.”
Michael Harvin, Senior Manager, Global Agency Relations at American Express